My dog has low thyroid and is losing weight. Is it serious?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Unfortunately, cancer is not uncommon in older dogs and can cause weight loss. Weight loss can also be caused by conditions such as IBD, diabetes, or be a normal part of the aging process. I recommend having Milo seen by a vet for blood work and x-rays to check if he has any masses and make sure his organs are functioning normally. I hope all is well with Milo!

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If you want to rule out hypothyroidism 100% you should have a profile done that includes fT4, TSH, T3, fT3. I like the profile to Michigan State. With that being said, hypothyroidism at 21 months old is exceedingly rare. It occurs in larger breed dogs more commonly. These dogs have stunted growth, have retention of "puppy coat," orthopedic abnormalities due to delayed growth plate closure and many other obvious abnormalities. Dynasty looks very normal. I hope this helps!

Hello, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Yes, this unexplained weight loss in Mia definitely worries me. 2 lbs of loss in a large dog wouldn't be too alarming, but in Mia's case she's lost 25% of her original body weight and that should absolutely be investigated. It is never normal for a dog to lose this much weight and almost certainly indicates a medical problem. I recommend bringing Mia to the vet for evaluation. Anticipate that your vet will likely start with an exam, then will probably recommend checking a fecal sample and running bloodwork. Dramatic weight loss in young dogs can be due to problems with digestion (such as inflammatory bowel disease or pancreatic insufficiency), congenital issues (such as a liver shunt), intestinal parasites, and (less commonly) cancer, among other things. I hope this helps and you can get to the bottom of Mia's weight loss soon!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. If you have been having difficulty in getting his weight down, it certainly could be from a disease such as hypothyroidism. If you have not had a veterinarian examine him and test his thyroid level, I would suggest doing so to rule this out as a cause. If his thyroid level is normal then you may want to enquire about Hills Metabolic Diet. The vet would need to provide you with a prescription for this food as well. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

It's hard to say whether or not Milo's behavior at night is an attempt to 'tell you something', but even vague behavior changes can sometimes be a sign of illness. Weight loss with an increased appetite are concerning and I'd recommend having your vet examine Milo. It's possible that he has intestinal parasites or a disease like diabetes that is causing these symptoms. The hair loss could be a sign of parasites or allergies.

Hello. If your veterinarian has not checked Moka's thyroid levels, then yes this needs to be looked at. Otherwise, this is a good fatty acid supplement, but it can take 6-8 weeks to see results after a supplement is started. If this does not work, she may need some additional testing. You can ask your veterinarian if there are any veterinary dermatologist specialists in your country. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Interesting question! Cushings can be a very difficult condition to manage and can in itself give low thyroid readings (as can any illness such as urinary tract infections common in cushings patients). This syndrome is known as euthyroid sick syndrome where although the thyroid my be capable of working it is not as active as expected - this occurs in almost 50% of cushings patients. True failure of the thyroid gland is also possible but much more rare. Extensive testing may be required in order to differentiate the two conditions but if confirmed, thyroid medication can be given alongside cushings medication